2009-11-13 15:02:31

UN agency calls for global fast against hunger


(November 13, 2009) The head of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, has called on people around the world to join him in a day of fasting to highlight the plight of undernourished people, whose ranks have surged past 1 billion in the global economic crisis. FAO director-general Jacques Diouf said on Wednesday he hoped the move would encourage action by world leaders who will take part in a three-day food summit at the agency's headquarters starting on Monday. Presenting the summit goals to reporters, Diouf called for «a global day of hunger strike» on the eve of the summit to show solidarity with the world's hungry. Diouf said he would begin a 24-hour fast on Saturday morning. The agency also launched an online petition against world hunger. The Rome-based agency announced earlier this year that hunger now affects a record 1.02 billion, or one in six people, with the financial meltdown, high food prices, drought and war blamed. According a new report by the UN’s childrenf und, UCICEF on Wednesday, nearly 200 million children in poor countries have stunted growth because of insufficient nutrition. FAO hopes its Nov. 16-18 World Summit on Food Security, with some 60 heads of state so far expected to attend, will endorse a new strategy to combat hunger, focusing on increased investment in agricultural development for poor countries.







All the contents on this site are copyrighted ©.